Meaning & use
to stand out
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Meanings
verbintransitive
to be much more noticeable or impressive than other people or things around you.
Grammar: No object; often followed by from or against: stand out from the crowd.
Patterns
- stand out from someone/something
- stand out against something
- stand out as something
Her bright red coat made her stand out in the gray crowd.
He stands out from the other players because of his speed.
The error stood out as soon as I read the page again.
verbintransitive
to be clearly visible because of a difference in color, shape, or light.
Grammar: No object; commonly used with against when you mention the background.
Patterns
- stand out against something
- stand out on something
The white letters stand out clearly against the dark blue sign.
A single yellow flower stood out on the green hillside.
verbintransitive
to continue to resist or hold a position when others have given up.
Grammar: No object; used especially about soldiers or workers who refuse to stop.
Patterns
- stand out against someone/something
- stand out for something
A few workers stood out against the new rules for months.
The small unit stood out until help arrived.
Word forms
| third person singular | stands out |
|---|---|
| past tense | stood out |
| past participle | stood out |
| -ing form | standing out |
Common combinations
- stand out from the crowd
- Good design helps a product stand out from the crowd.
- stand out against the background
- The orange kite stood out against the gray sky.
- stand out as a leader
- She stood out as a leader during the crisis.
- stand out in a photo
- His smile makes him stand out in every photo.
Synonyms and how they differ
- be conspicuous
- More formal and often suggests you are noticed when you would rather not be.
- be prominent
- Used for things that are important or easy to see, not usually for people in a crowd.
- be noticeable
- Weaker than stand out; it simply means people can see it.
Opposites
Word family
- outstanding adjective
- Extremely good or very easy to notice.
- standout noun
- A person or thing that is clearly better or more noticeable than others.
Commonly confused: to stand out or stand up? to stand out or stand by?
to stand out vs stand up
Stand up means to rise to your feet or to fail to keep a promise; stand out is about being noticeable.
to stand out vs stand by
Stand by means to support someone or to wait; it does not mean to be noticeable.
Practice
Her red dress made her ______ from the other guests.
Choose one answer.
Stand out fits because the sentence is about being noticeably different. Stand up means to rise, stand by means to support or wait, and stand for means to represent.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “to stand out”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.